The Society of Illustrators is honored to have cartoonist and illustrator Becky Cloonan as this year’s artist for the fifteenth annual MoCCA Arts Festival.

This beautiful image will appear on signage and merchandise at the MoCCA Arts Festival, to be held on April 1st and 2nd, 2017 at the spacious and modern Metropolitan West located at 639 West 46th Street in Manhattan.

At only 36, New York’s School of Visual Arts alum Becky Cloonan has already paved the way for women in comics. Her breakout hit Demo (2004), a collaboration with Brian Wood, received numerous accolades and recognitions. Her first solo project, East Coast Rising, released by Tokyopop in 2006, earned her a third Eisner nomination for Best New Series. In 2012 she became the first woman to draw a main Batman title. Following Batman, she did the art for the True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys and later created cover art and stories for Gotham Academy for DC Comics. Currently she writes The Punisher for Marvel Comics.

About the Society of Illustrators
Founded in 1901, the Society of Illustrators and its Museum of Illustration together comprise the oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of illustration in America. The mission of SI/MI is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration and its history and evolving nature through exhibitions and educational programs.

The MoCCA Arts Festival is a 2-day multimedia event, Manhattan’s largest independent comics, cartoon and animation festival, drawing over 7,000 attendees each year. With 400 exhibiting artists displaying their work, award-winning honorees speaking about their careers and artistic processes and other featured artists conducting workshops, lectures and film screenings, our Festival mission accelerates the advancement of the Society’s broader mission to serve as Manhattan’s singular cultural institution promoting all genres of illustration through exhibitions, programs and art education. The MoCCA Arts Festival will take place April 1 – 2nd from 11:00AM – 6:00PM at Metropolitan West located on West 46th Street between 10th and 11th Avenue. Programming featuring panels by top artists and speakers focusing on current issues and trends will take place at Ink48 (653 11th Ave), a boutique hotel located on the corner of 10th Avenue and West 48th Street.

The Society of Illustrators is proud to share this year’s stellar list of Guests of Honor for the MoCCA Arts Festival, taking place April 1-2 at Metropolitan West in New York City. This year’s featured Guests of Honor are:

Acclaimed French cartoonist Blutch, whose graphic novel Peplum marks his second English- language translation, makes his first ever appearance at a North American comics festival.

Cliff Chiang, known for his “fluid and confident storytelling” in work on comics including Human Target, Beware the Creeper, Wonder Woman, and Paper Girls.

Artist Becky Cloonan, whose best-selling comics include Demo, East Coast Rising, American Virgin, Gotham Academy, The Punisher, and many others.

Illustrator Drew Friedman, recognized for his body of comics work as well as his unforgettable caricatures of celebrities and legends, political figures and performers.

British comics artist David Lloyd, best known as the artist of V for Vendetta, written by Alan Moore, and the designer of the iconic Guy Fawkes mask since adopted by Anonymous.

American Born Chinese and Boxers & Saints author Gene Luen Yang, the current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and a prestigious MacArthur Foundation fellow, who will appear on Saturday only.

This diverse group of artists exemplifies the limitless aesthetic and social power of comics and cartooning. The MoCCA Arts Festival will take place April 1 – 2nd from 11:00AM – 6:00PM at Metropolitan West (636 W. 46th St.) with programming mere steps away at Ink48 (653 11th Ave).

Price of admission is $5 per day and will grant attendees access to the Fest including the Exhibitors Hall, on-site Gallery space, and programming. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door. Children under twelve are free. Further scheduling information regarding our Guests of Honor’s visits will be available in future announcements.

Applications to table at the Fest are now available online, and will close on December 31st.

ABOUT THE GUESTS OF HONOR

Blutch
Born Christian Hincker in Strasbourg, France, comic artist and writer Blutch is widely recognized for his incredible draftsmanship and his affectionate, outsider’s take on American culture including cinema and jazz. His comics debuted in the magazine Fluide Glacial in the 1980s. Since then he has published many books with publishers including L’Association, Cornelius, and Dargaud. His books So Long, Silver Screen (Picturebox) and Peplum (New York Review Comics) have been translated into English, and his illustrations have appeared in publications including Libération and The New Yorker. In 2009, he won the prestigious Grand Prix at the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée in Angoulême, France. His visit to North America is supported by Europe Comics

Cliff Chiang
Comic artist Cliff Chiang began his career as an illustrator for Disney Adventures Magazine and Vertigo/DC before moving on to freelance. His client list includes DC Comics, GQ Magazine, Lucasfilm, Warner Animation, Dark Horse Comics, Dynamics Forces Entertainment, and the ACLU. His artwork was used in the comics Human Target, Beware the Creeper and Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre, Green Arrow/Black Canary and Wonder Woman. He is currently working on the series Paper Girls with writer Brian K. Vaughan.

Becky Cloonan
At only 36, New York’s School of Visual Arts alum Becky Cloonan has already paved the way for women in comics. Her breakout hit, Demo (2004), a collaboration with Brian Wood, received numerous accolades and recognitions. Her first solo project,
East Coast Rising, released by Tokyopop in 2006, earned her a third Eisner nomination for Best New Series. In 2012 she became the first woman to draw a main Batman title. Following Batman, she did the art for The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys and later created cover art and stories for Gotham Academy for DC Comics.

Drew Friedman
Award winning artist Drew Friedman’s comics and illustrations have appeared in Raw, Weirdo, American Splendor, Heavy Metal, National Lampoon, SPY, MAD, The New Yorker, BLAB!, Time, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The New York Observer, Entertainment Weekly, among many others. His work has been collected in several volumes, and The New York Times called his three volumes of Old Jewish Comedians “A festival of drawing virtuosity and fabulous craggy faces.” His books of portraits, Heroes of the Comic Books and More Heroes of The Comics, published by Fantagraphics, have received high praise and recognition from the comics community. He is the subject of the upcoming documentary Drew Friedman: Vermeer of the Borscht Belt.

David Lloyd
British comic art David Lloyd’s career began in the 1970s creating art for Marvel UK titles. In 1982, author and editor Dez Skinn started production on Warrior magazine, and invited Lloyd to create a new pulp character. With the help of writer Alan Moore, the two conceived V for Vendetta, a dark comic featuring an anarchist anti-hero who battles with a fascist government while donning a Guy-Fawkes mask. DC Comics would later pick up the comic and transform it into a full graphic novel. In 2006, V for Vendetta became a full-length feature film, while the Guy-Fawkes mask illustrated by Lloyd has been used widely in protests throughout the world. Since the widespread popularity of V, Lloyd has worked on numerous other titles including Wasteland, Espers, War Story, The Territory, Kickback, among others. In 2012, Lloyd launched an online comics anthology called Aces Weekly.

Gene Luen Yang
Gene Luen Yang found early recognition in 2006 through his young adult (YA) book American Born Chinese (First Second Books), which became the first graphic novel to be a finalist for the National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Association’s Printz Award, as well as an Eisner Award. His next title, the diptych Boxers & Saints (also published by First Second Books), continued his winning streak, receiving the L.A. Times Book Prize. In January of 2016, Yang was appointed as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress, Every Child A Reader, and the Children’s Book Council; then later that year, he was named a MacArthur Genius.

About the Society of Illustrators and the MoCCA Arts Festival
Founded in 1901, the Society of Illustrators is the oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of illustration in America. Notable Society members have been N.C. Wyeth, Rube Goldberg, and Norman Rockwell, among many others. Our Museum of Illustration was established in 1981. We offer year-round themed exhibits, art education programs and annual juried competitions. Our Permanent Collection houses 3,500 pieces that are cataloged for scholarly use and displayed periodically. In 2012, we created the MoCCA Gallery with a focus on curated exhibits of comic and cartoon art.

The MoCCA Arts Festival is a 2-day multimedia event, Manhattan’s largest independent comics, cartoon and animation festival, drawing over 7,000 attendees each year. With 400 exhibiting artists displaying their work, award-winning honorees speaking about their careers and artistic processes and other featured artists conducting workshops, lectures and film screenings, our Festival mission accelerates the advancement of the Society’s broader mission to serve as Manhattan’s singular cultural institution promoting all genres of illustration through exhibitions, programs and art education.

This diverse group of artists exemplifies the limitless aesthetic and social power of comics and cartooning. The MoCCA Arts Festival will take place on April 2 – 3rd from 11:00AM – 6:00PM at our brand new location at Metropolitan West (636 W. 46th St.) with programming mere steps away at Ink48 (653 11th Ave.).

Price of admission is $5 per day and will grant attendees access to the Fest including the Exhibitors Hall, on-site Gallery space, and programming. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door. Children under twelve are free. Further scheduling information regarding our Guests of Honor will be available in future announcements.

ABOUT THE GUESTS OF HONOR

Cece Bell
Children’s book author and illustrator Cece Bell attended the College of William and Mary where she studied Art History, and later attended Kent State University, earning a graduate degree in illustration and design. Her colorful, fun and quirky drawings can be found in her best-selling books Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover, Crankee Doodle, Bug Patrol, Itty Bitty, Bee-Wigged, and the Sock Monkey series. In 2015, Bell received the Newbery Medal Honor for her graphic novel El Deafo, a story based on her own experiences growing up deaf.

R.O. Blechman
R.O. Blechman is a multiple award-winning and influential animator, illustrator, children’s book author, graphic novelist and editorial cartoonist. His many books include the groundbreaking 1953 graphic novel The Juggler of Our Lady and the forthcoming Amadeo & Maladeo: A Musical Duet. His work in animation includes The Soldier’s Tale and unforgettable advertisements for products like Alka Seltzer. He has received multiple recognitions including a Lifetime Achievement Award from The National Cartoonists Society in 2011, was inducted into the Society of Illustrators’ Hall of Fame in 2012. His work has been shown at The Norman Rockwell Museum, The School of Visual Arts, and MoMA.

Phoebe Gloeckner
Phoebe Gloeckner began cartooning after moving to San Francisco in the 1970s, and was greatly influenced by the underground comix movement led by artists including Robert Crumb, Aline Kominksy, Bill Griffith, Diane Noomin, and Terry Zwigoff. Her early work appeared in anthologies including Wimmen’s Comix, Weirdo, and Twisted Sisters. Both her 1998 collection A Child’s Life and Other Stories and the 2002 novel The Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures received notable recognition as well as controversy for its honest portrayal of teenage sexuality with themes of drug use and childhood traumas. The book has been adapted into a theatrical production and a critically acclaimed feature film of the same name. She is the recipient of the 2000 Inkpot Award, received the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2008, and is currently the Faculty Fellow at the University of Michigan Institute for the Humanities.

Sonny Liew
Sonny Liew is a comics artist, painter, and illustrator whose work includes the New York Times bestseller The Shadow Hero (with Gene Yang), Doctor Fate (with Paul Levitz), Malinky Robot and titles for Marvel Comics, DC Vertigo, and Image Comics. He has been nominated for multiple Eisner Awards for his collaborations on The Shadow Hero, Wonderland, and Liquid City, a multivolume comics anthology featuring creators from Southeast Asia. He lives and works in Singapore.

Rebecca Sugar
Animator, composer and director Rebecca Sugar’s groundbreaking career started as a writer and storyboard artist on the animated television series Adventure Time. She later went on to create the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe, and became the first woman to independently create a series for that network. She has received numerous Emmy and Annie Award nominations for her work on both series.

About the Society of Illustrators and the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA)
Founded in 1901, the Society of Illustrators is the oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of illustration in America. Notable Society members have been N.C. Wyeth, Rube Goldberg, and Norman Rockwell, among many others. Our Museum of Illustration was established in 1981. We offer year-round themed exhibits, art education programs and annual juried competitions. Our Permanent Collection houses 2,500 pieces that are cataloged for scholarly use and displayed periodically. In 2012, we created the MoCCA Gallery with a focus on curated exhibits of comic and cartoon art.

The MoCCA Arts Festival is a 2-day multimedia event, Manhattan’s largest independent comics, cartoon and animation festival, drawing over 7,000 attendees each year. With 400 exhibiting artists displaying their work, award-winning honorees speaking about their careers and artistic processes and other featured artists conducting workshops, lectures and film screenings, our Festival mission accelerates the advancement of the Society’s broader mission to serve as Manhattan’s singular cultural institution promoting all genres of illustration through exhibitions, programs and art education.

This weekend, April 6th & 7th, NBM Publishing once again heads to the MoCCA Arts Festival and we are happy to have attending both Jesse Lonergan, who will be appearing to promote the debut of his new book, the coming of age story All Star, and Ted Rall who will be signing copies of the new edition of his book, SILK ROAD TO RUIN: Why Central Asia Is The Next Middle East.

About All Star

Set at the end of the school year in 1998 when Mark McGwire is racing Sammy Sosa to break the home run record, Bill Clinton is being questioned about a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky, and Semisonic’s ‘Closing Time’ is on top of the charts, Carl Carter is leading the Elizabeth Monarchs of rural Vermont to the state championship in his senior year.

A full scholarship to the University of Maine is waiting for him, and everyone says he has a shot at the pros.

He’s so good he can do whatever he wants.

Until he makes one very arrogant mistake.

About SILK ROAD TO RUIN: Why Central Asia Is The Next Middle East – 2nd Ed.

Combining articles with comic chapters relating his experiences retracing the old legendary Silk Road starting with the sublime history of China and ending in the absurdity of the petty dictatorships of the Stans where Rall had the temerity–or was it the blustery stupidity?–to go back, including once with a group of listeners to his radio show, on a dare. It’s exotic adventure, satire and a fun way to find out more about a part of the world that looms in importance with its immense reserves of oil . . .

Signing Schedule – Tables B6, B7

Both Jesse and Ted will be appearing at the NBM Booth throughout the weekend.

Saturday, April 6th:

Jesse Lonergan 11:30-1:00

Ted Rall 1:00-3:00

Jesse Lonergan 3:00-5:00

Sunday, April 7th:

Ted Rall 1:00-3:00

Jesse Lonergan 3:00-5:00

Be sure to follow @nbmpub on Twitter. So come on by, meet some cool folks and celebrate comics!

The Society of Illustrators is proud to announce a robust and distinguished programming schedule for the 2014 MoCCA Arts Festival, taking place April 5-6 at the 69th Regiment Armory and featuring more than 50 artists, designers, critics and scholars. Highlights of the program will include individual Q+A sessions with honored guests Robert Williams and Fiona Staples, honored guests Howard Cruse and Alison Bechdel in conversation, Art Spiegelman and JoostSwarte in conversation, a presentation by Drew Friedman, and a discussion about comics and design with Chip Kidd and Françoise Mouly.

In a special site-appropriate presentation, scholar Tad Suiter will trace the participation of cartoonists in the 1913 Armory Show that established Modernism in America at the very site of the MoCCA Arts Festival just over a century ago.

Performative reading of comics for children and a panel on comics and education will address the growing significance of children’s comics. International participants in this year’s programming include Marion Fayolle (France), BrechtVandenbroucke (Belgium), Frederic Coché (Belgium), NimrodReshef (Israel), Ville Ranta (Finland) and more. North American artists including Sam Alden, Mike Dawson, Michael DeForge, Edie Fake, Drew Friedman, Sabrina Jones, Peter Kuper, Sophie Yanow, and many more will all discuss their work.

Admission to all programming events is included with MoCCA Arts Festival admission. To manage anticipated demand, first priority seating for the Bechdel/Cruse and Spiegelman/Swarte events will be given to registrants who have reserved free tickets for these events via the Society of Illustrators’ website, with any remaining seating to be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets for these two events can be reserved at the Society of Illustrators website.

This year’s programming schedule was curated and organized by MoCCA Arts Festival Programming Director Bill Kartalopoulos. The full programming schedule can be accessed online here.

The 2014 MoCCA Arts Festival will be held on the weekend of April 5 – 6, 2014 at the 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan, running from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm each day. Tickets for the Festival will be available to purchase at the door for a flat fee of $5 per day.

About the Society of Illustrators

The Society of Illustrators, founded in 1901, is the oldest nonprofit organization solely dedicated to the art and appreciation of illustration in America. Prominent Society members have been Maxfield Parrish, N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell, among others. The Museum of American Illustration was established by the Society in 1981 and is located in the Society’s vintage 1875 carriage house building in mid-town Manhattan. In 2012 the Society acquired the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. It’s mission is to promote the understanding and appreciation of comic and cartoon art along with the artistic, cultural, and historical impact of what is the world’s most popular art form. The MoCCA Arts Festival, begun in 2002 and continued by the Society, features a selection of independent comic and cartoon artists and includes programming, gallery space, and an Exhibition Hall. The Society is open to the public Tuesday, 10 am-8 pm; Wednesday-Friday, 10 am-5 pm; and Saturday, 12-4pm. To learn more about visiting the Museum, Admission and the Society go to www.societyillustrators.org.